Buying A Florida Vacation Home: 5 Mistakes To Avoid

If you think that the picture above is very tempting, you’re not alone by any means. But a message that we want to highlight is this: you need to get many things “right” when you are buying, to make sure that you avoid regrets later on. To us, “right” includes things such as the right floor plan, the right community, the right location, the right management company and so on. It’s easy to make mistakes and our role is often to help clients avoid those mistakes.

An article recently published by Realtor.com identified several key areas for a prospective vacation home buyer to be aware of, focusing on buyers who want to generate income by renting out their home while they are not using it personally. The article is not Orlando- or Florida-specific, but the points that it raises are very relevant for anyone buying a holiday home in Central Florida. It suggests five potential mistakes that can cost money if you get it wrong:

1. Not checking the local regulations on renting

2. Not being picky about your management company

3. Being thrown off by a furnished home

4. Buying to please yourself

5. Viewing it as a hobby

We endorse everything that’s said in the article and indeed, even if we haven’t covered all five previously in this web site, we have certainly discussed these things many times with a host of clients!

You can read all of the article at this link. Take a look and let us know what you think, or send us your questions via the form at this Contact Us page.

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What Our Clients Say:

Very excited by our new purchase and cannot thank you enough. You were such a help through very unfamiliar territory. Would be more than happy to act as a reference any time. G.K., Kent, UK

You helped us from start to finish and beyond . . . from finding and choosing the plot through to furnishing the house and helping to set up the utilities once we had closed on the home - a "one-stop shop". You made it all so smooth and trouble free for us. We were so far away in the U.K. . . . I don't know how anyone does this without your help.
B.R., Derby, UK

Chris helped me to build my real estate holding from 0 to 5 homes worth almost $1 million dollars in just over 3 years, including 3 Disney Orlando Vacation homes. All were sold for a profit, which I give credit to Chris, who knows the Florida Real Estate market so well.
Anne S. Orlando

It looks so easy from the Internet sites. And some other Realtors play down exactly what is involved. What Colin showed us and what he did meant that we were kept informed at every stage. He made sure that we knew what we needed at each stage, from buying through to setting up the home and managing it the most effectively. We want to thank him for everything.
V.B., Exeter, UK

We just want to say how much we value the work that Colin did for us. His advice helped us to avoid what could have been some big mistakes and he showed us how to find the place we were looking for – or rather, the home that best fitted our plans both now and in the future. It’s amazing, looking back, how much Colin’s challenge to our preconceptions changed our thinking. I’m delighted both that we were referred to him and that he continues to give us support when we require it.
R.H., Oxford, UK